They killed my favorite type of work shoe

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upupandaway

Recycles dryer sheets
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Jul 22, 2019
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I'm a 38 year old guy working in the typical office environment doing the whole business casual thing. I don't care much for shopping or clothes so when I find something I like I tend to stick with it. I've been wearing Nunn Bush Oxford shoes for years and I love the look and feel. They cost around $65 a pair which being frugal I still think is robbery but they always looked nice and are extremely comfortable. I'm guessing people know where this is headed, but I assume to boost the bottom line the company has replaced the rubber sole with a material that has the durability of a Styrofoam cooler. The pair I'm wearing now are dead and were purchased on 2/8/19. I tried a few brands of Dockers and they held up better but were far less comfortable. I tried Rockports and I was surprised about how their quality has fallen. So my questions are....

1. Am I expecting too much from a $65 shoe?
2. Do any office warriors or retired office warriors have any suggestions of a Men's oxford that is comfortable and still made well?

Thanks everyone. It's hilarious that my first post is about shoes but I hate wasting $$$$ on things that fall apart.
 
allen edmonds expensive but well worth the money with recrafting
 
It's typical of what happens when cost cutting and the bottom line becomes more important than a quality product.

Because of that kind of situation, I now only buy my shoes online and through discount/outlet stores at deep discount.

Personally, I don't think you're asking too much from a $65 pair of shoes. However, these days, I won't pay more than $30 or $35.

I do still have my pair of $240 Johnston & Murphy dress shoes that I purchased 20+ years ago and wear a few times a year. They are still wonderful and going strong.
 
Can you identify the old shoes from new from a product description? Search online, including ebay, and you may find a place or two that has a stockpile, sometimes at a sale. Get all you can. I've done this with running shoes that either went out of production or they changed the model too much.
 
Funny
I gave up on the Nunn Bush in the early 90s because the quality went down then.

No suggestion for work shoes, I'm unemployable.
 
I do think you’re asking a little too much for an under $100 pair of shoes. Not that I don’t feel your pain. I hate it when they change things and are cheap about it. I always wonder what would have happened if they would have kept the better product and just charged more. They still would have been a value shoe but a good one.

I’m surprised you’re not happy with Rockports. They were my go to shoe for casual Friday’s. Of course I was wearing their classic loafer and not an Oxford. I tried Allen Edmonds, but wasn’t really impressed with the cost to value ratio. They’re just too expensive. I had good luck with a company called B.A. Mason, but I doubt any of their shoes are actually made in the USA anymore. They always had a classic dress shoe for a decent price (though over $100) with a Goodyear welt construction that could be resoled a few times before wearing out the uppers. I suggest you look for a shoe that can be resoled and spend a little extra money up front. Then, get them resoled a few times to keep the cost in line.
 
Jerry1 said:
I do think you’re asking a little too much for an under $100 pair of shoes. Not that I don’t feel your pain. I hate it when they change things and are cheap about it. I always wonder what would have happened if they would have kept the better product and just charged more. They still would have been a value shoe but a good one.

I’m surprised you’re not happy with Rockports. They were my go to shoe for casual Friday’s. Of course I was wearing their classic loafer and not an Oxford. I tried Allen Edmonds, but wasn’t really impressed with the cost to value ratio. They’re just too expensive. I had good luck with a company called B.A. Mason, but I doubt any of their shoes are actually made in the USA anymore. They always had a classic dress shoe for a decent price (though over $100) with a Goodyear welt construction that could be resoled a few times before wearing out the uppers. I suggest you look for a shoe that can be resoled and spend a little extra money up front. Then, get them resoled a few times to keep the cost in line.
Click to expand...

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Regarding the Rockports I have a pair of wingtips by them that I bought at Men's Warehouse for around $130 and those have been really nice. I think the issue is they tried to compete in the lower end market and made $60 oxfords. Why they would risk their reputation that way is beyond me. I'm great with shoes that can be resoled but I'm looking for something with a rubber sole as well as I travel through manufacturing areas often. Cole Haan makes an Oxford with a rubber sole ($105) that at least on Amazon says it can be redone. Any other brand suggestions that are between $100 and $200 would be welcome.
 
Good shoes that last a long time cost money. My go to is Magnanni, but you're talking 300-500 bucks a shot. They will last a long time however, so it works out better than spending $75 every couple of months. You might try J&M mentioned above. Some of their lower end stuff starts just over $100 and is well made, durable, and comfortable (which is highly subjective).

I'm a shoe/sneaker head though. I could justify just about any cost to myself if I like the shoe. Wife thinks I'm "special."
 
upupandaway said:
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Regarding the Rockports I have a pair of wingtips by them that I bought at Men's Warehouse for around $130 and those have been really nice. I think the issue is they tried to compete in the lower end market and made $60 oxfords. Why they would risk their reputation that way is beyond me. I'm great with shoes that can be resoled but I'm looking for something with a rubber sole as well as I travel through manufacturing areas often. Cole Haan makes an Oxford with a rubber sole ($105) that at least on Amazon says it can be redone. Any other brand suggestions that are between $100 and $200 would be welcome.
Click to expand...

I used to buy Rockports all the time in the late 90's, early 00's. Comfortable, classic style (wingtips). $100+ a pair, and worth it. I even had a couple of pair re-soled.

Then, as everyone has said, quality took a nose dive. Haven't bought any in 15 years.

And now, retired, I spend more time in flip flops and Teva's. :D
 

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The [-]cheap[/-] inexpensive shoes are not leather, and I have hot sweaty feet that will stink badly in them. :)

That said, I still have 6 pairs of dress shoes that will last me until I die, particularly as I only wear dress shoes for a few days a year now. Never have to shop for dress shoes again.
 
I have worn the same Dockers boat shoes year after year--in the same color. I have 3-4 pairs at any given time in various states of wear from painted to new. I get them at Amazon.com for around $45 to $50--much less than other comparable boat shoes.

Right now, I'm wearing Sketcher Ultra 60's--memory foam inside. They have thick soles that appear to be lasting well. But they're pretty ugly.
 
Comfortable oxfords that are made well? I recommend Alden. (http://www.aldenshoe.com). I have two pairs of plain toe Bluchers that I bought 20 years ago and they are still comfortable and good-looking. I've had them re-heeled and resoled (which most good cobblers can do, but you can send them back to Alden for restoration if you don't have a good cobbler near by.)
 
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Yes, there are companies and cobblers that resole Rockports. I've had a couple done and was quite pleased. One guy even put in a wedge and helped my walking gate a bit.
 
I tried all kinds of brands and ended up 100% with Ecco shoes. They are more in the $125 range but I wear the same pair every work day fir over 5 years. They are far more comfortable than any other shoe I have tried.
 
Seems odd to me that well paid office workers are complaining about paying $65 for a pair of shoes when a $40K/yr factory worker like me has to pay over $150 for a decent pair of steel toed work boots. I don't think I have ever spent $65 or less on any pair of shoes in my life and I am one of the most frugal people around spending under $20K/yr all in. I think it's good to look around for deals but $65 is cheap if the quality isn't horrible.
 
I wore Rockports or Sperry boat shoes. Mostly Rockports - very comfortable. I only wore the boat shoes to work in summer when I didn't expect to do much walking.
 
This might not work for you, but I had been wearing Topsiders since high school and when I had a pair fail early, I took detailed photos and wrote Sperry, asking if I somehow ended up with a knock-off, since "I know your quality is better than this". They sent me a new pair for free.
 
Try shopping at 6pm.com. That's the sister site for Zappos where they do their sales. Not much help on brands for men. Sort by style, size, discount amount, brand, etc. Highest discount on there right now for men's oxfords is a pair of Bruno Magli at 82% off. (Always makes me think of O.J. Simpson.) Cheapest pair of Nunn Bush are $25.75. You aren't satisfied with the quality, but at more than half off maybe they're fine?
 
I would try something from Ecco. When I found them on sale at Nordstrom, went back and bought 2 pair in every color available. We had one of those “superior products” threads on this forum and several posters chimed in on Ecco shoes. You’re gonna have to spend more than $65. Another one I really like that’s hard to find is French Shriner but it’s a loafer.
 
Soo, shoes are a blow that dough category for me on occasion. I believe that a man must have the proper footwear for the task at hand. So I have boots, flip flops, sneakers, and LOTS of dress shoes.

This is not for my personal comfort, but mearly a means to an end. With that said, I do buy for comfort, and not durability...hard for me to know if it will be durable really.

So, I spend over $100 on each pair of dress shoes I wear. I only wear dress shoes at work or for a formal event...so they last forever. I switch from sneakers to dress shoes once in the office. I've found this method works the best for the 5 seasons I live in (that fifth season is one y'all don't want to experience).
 
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